Better
by palomino333
Summary: Quistis Trepe was known as a great mentor to the students she taught, and a failure to those for whom she worked. Now that her future is in her own hands, she realizes whose opinion truly matters.


I thought Quistis and Nida would be a good match because while each are well-achieved in their own rights, they still fall short of the expectations set for them. Quistis is called a failure, and Nida, although he wished to stand out and be remembered, falls second to Squall. Quistis and Nida also spent a lot of time together on board the bridge of Balamb Garden after its mobilization. Whenever you want to go somewhere while on board Balamb Garden in the game, you have to speak to Nida. Quistis and Xu are always standing with him.

Nida was a little difficult to write because he is not featured in the game as much as Quistis.

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><p>Quistis laughed as Irvine and Selphie fumbled with the camcorder, expressing their clear distaste at the battery running out of juice, and their exasperation at their inability to locate a spare. It was a shame that the celebration's entirety wouldn't be recorded, but such a detail was trivial. If this had been official business, she would have been frustrated at this occurrence, but this was a party, a time to relax, and enjoy. She could appreciate her memories, instead. It was nice to depart from formality for a little while. She frowned a little as she stared past the two, and out toward the balcony where Squall and Rinoa stood together. She hadn't realized how precious memories really were until this war, this journey, had been brought to an end. Quistis was thankful for the new peace. As powerful as the Guardian Forces were, she didn't want to lose this beautiful night from her mind by way of their prolonged use. The frown became a smirk. How ironic, considering her livelihood and paycheck had thrived on war.<p>

"Instructor Trepe?"

Quistis let out a small cry of surprise as she turned to address the speaker. "Nida, you certainly don't have to call me that anymore!"

He smiled sheepishly, bowing to her. "Forgive me. I was just wondering if you would like me to bring you something." She was confused for a moment, until it dawned on her why he was asking this sort of question: he wished to speak with her in private.

Quistis smiled. "Thank you for offering. I would like a glass of champagne, if you wouldn't mind."

Nida grinned. "Of course." He searched the crowded floor for a waitress carrying a tray of them, and spotted one a short distance away. The poor girl wasn't accustomed to seeing pets in Balamb Garden, and as such, was spending most of the time with her eyes on the floor, lest she trip over Angelo. After promising her friends she would be back in a bit, Quistis followed after him.

"To a new world," Quistis declared confidently, raising her glass, and bringing it together with his. Standing off to the side of the massive dance floor, they watched a few couples twirl around. Most of the party's attendees were more interested in speaking with one another, rather than dancing. It was probably because they had to discuss how they were going to lead their lives now. Peace had its prices. She smiled warmly as Cid Kramer led his wife onto the dance floor. After all the two had been through, it was fantastic to see them like this; they deserved it.

Nida followed her gaze. "We owe so much to the headmaster. I found I could do so much more than I had first thought possible before completing the SeeD program." Quistis was about to reply that he didn't know the half of it, but thought against it. She was just as surprised at herself as he was at himself. She had assisted in the defeat of the most powerful sorceress of all time, and he had piloted a ship that had been all but lost from the realm of history.

"You also owe a lot of gratitude to yourself. The exam mission in Dollet was by no means easy, and you succeeded. When we needed your service most as a member of SeeD, you were there." Nida smiled, meekly lowering his eyes to his glass. She raised an eyebrow. Was this the same student in her class who used to boast that everyone would know his name someday? The young man that stood before her seemed incapable of even thinking of doing such a thing.

"Thanks," he finally replied, "That means a lot to hear, that really does, but," the pilot let out a sigh, "I wish I could've met the standards I set for myself. Pardon the language, but I acted like an ass in the past," he took a generous sip of the drink he was studying so fixedly.

Quistis' chuckle made him glance up in surprise. Now she understood the reason for his change in personality. "Nida, you have nothing to be ashamed of. When NORG declared war on the headmaster, you protected the sick and injured in Balamb's infirmary from being caught in the crossfire. You proved yourself to be an efficient flyer of this school. You've also become a good instructor in your own way, considering we haven't crashed yet." Although the last phrase was in a joking voice, she meant what she said. Nida had been asked to attend the celebration, and as such, had also been designated with explaining to a member of Balamb's staff about how to maneuver the ship in his place. Her efforts earned her a small smile from him. She leaned forward, continuing in a wry tone, "Trust me, you're not the only one to have disappointments in your life."

He shook his head. "It doesn't make it any easier to live with, but I can learn to deal. You have."

Quistis held up a hand. "You'd do best with saving your praise. I'm still working on that."

"I'm still shocked that you suffer from this at all," he returned, waving his free hand emphatically. She couldn't believe this. She actually felt enthralled with talking to him. After taking up a similar conversation with Squall, and being rejected, Trepe had expected a different emotional result.

Deciding it was better to make the moment count, she explained, "No one ever talks about the downside to being a prodigy. More is expected of you. The fact that I was so young for being an instructor gave the Garden Faculty all the more reason to nitpick at me. If I messed up on one tiny detail, it was magnified tenfold," she squeezed her eyes shut, and pinched the bridge of her nose at the reminder of the fact that she had once been deemed a failure.

"Ouch," Nida muttered, "Well, if my opinion stands for anything, I never saw a time when you did." Quistis uncovered her face to give him a thankful smile. Yes, his opinion did count to her. It wasn't that she disliked or discounted the Trepies, rather, she was embarrassed by them. Her flawed being didn't deserve their worship. Nida had never been a Trepie, so that made her feel better. Her friends had seen her as much more than how she'd been labeled.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry, I got off-topic. I wanted to ask you something."

"Go right ahead," she responded invitingly, taking a sip from her glass.

Nida's expression became serious. "Are you going to continue working as an instructor at Balamb Garden, now that the war is over?"

She nodded as she took the glass from her lips. "Yes. I understand that this peace could bring several new career opportunities to me, but Balamb is my home. I have fought for it to stand. I want the generations that come after us to understand that you can't take that sort of thing for granted, otherwise the desire to remain free will die." Her eyes narrowed as she remembered seeing the corpses of future SeeDs before Ultimecia's castle. She understood that eventually, time would bring about those deaths, but it was better for them to die with dignity in fighting against the sorceress, rather than living as her slaves.

Nida gave a stern nod. "Well said, Quistis."

"Besides," she added, turning in the direction of Xu, whose back was to her as she spoke with a female SeeD with her hair in a braid, and a tall male SeeD, "I can't afford to leave the life I built here behind."

"We would miss you very much if you did," he replied, "It was always great to be able to speak with Xu and you."

She turned back to him, a challenging look on her face. "Oh come now, you were simply happy to be with not one, but two ladies all day!"

He blushed, but recovered himself by shifting slightly in his stance and holding out a hand to her, "That brings me to my other question. We'll be seeing a lot of one another from here on out, and I was wondering if you would like to get together sometime." Quistis' eyes widened. She had never thought of Nida of more than her student and friend, but now, it wasn't such an inconceivable thing. He actually took the time to listen to her, and was polite. He also wasn't that much younger than her, and had proved with his skills that he was quite mature. Quistis hadn't given much mind to dating, save for Squall, due to her work, but perhaps that could change. Why not start this new life with taking a chance? Nida seemed rather safe and genuine.

She nodded, warmly taking it. "I'd love to."

Nida let out a small sigh of relief, his grin reappearing. It looked cute on him, in a way. Usually, he appeared so solemn and composed. She wondered if he thought the same about her, and decided to ask that another time. He held up his glass. "Dinner tomorrow night?"

"If I'm late from finishing some long overdue paperwork, will you wait up for me?" She asked, grimacing at the thought of the teetering stack that was probably awaiting her.

Nida let go of her hand to place his own to his heart, and give a half-bow. "I promise to wait until the wee hours of the morning if I have to."

Quistis smiled. "It's a date." The glasses clinked once more, signaling the bright future in store for their holders.


End file.
